Henry erupted from the fireplace, rolled, and landed in a heap at his uncle's feet.

Snape resisted rolling his eyes. "Do get up, child," he said, reaching down and lifting the boy to his feet. "For Merlin's sake, you're covered in soot."

"You're the one who wanted to travel by the Floo," the blue-eyed boy reminded him, coughing as he dusted himself off.

"Perhaps it would be best if we stuck to brooms and Apparition from now on then," Snape told him, "since it appears you and your-uh-brother won't be able to deal with Floo travel."

"Gee," Henry snorted, "ya think?"

Snape raised an eyebrow. "I'd watch my tone," he warned, "unless you'd like to have all these people see you get a thrashing."

Henry's eyes widened. "You wouldn't?" he asked, shocked at the very idea. He was eleven, after all.

"Try me and see," Snape said, smirking evilly.

Henry sighed. "Sorry, sir," he apologized. "This has just been one weird day."

"Now that," Snape told him, "I completely agree with you on. Come along, our first stop is to the Muggle clothing shop."

"Why?" Henry asked, as he followed him out into Diagon Alley.

"Because," Snape told him, "judging by what you and Harry are wearing you are both in desperate need of new clothes."

Henry looked down at his faded green sweater and baggy jeans. "Yeah," he agreed, "I guess I-uh, we-do. These belonged to my-uh, our-cousin Dudley."

Snape nodded. "Leave it to Petunia to birth a walrus of a child," he said, "after marrying a walrus of a man, of course."

Henry smirked at that. Apparently there was no love lost between him and Aunt Petunia. "Will I need to get money from my vault?" he asked the man.

Snape raised an eyebrow. "Your vault?" he asked, puzzled.

"Yeah," Henry said, "you know, the one Mum and Dad left for me-well, Harry, really-but you know what I mean."

"Yes, I do," Snape told him, "and no you won't. I'll be paying for everything today."

"You will?" Henry asked, surprised by this. "Why?"

"Because," Snape explained, "you and Harry are now in my care-whether any of us like it or not-and as such it is my responsibility to provide the things that you need; such as food, clothing, and school supplies."

"Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon never cared about stuff like that," Henry told him, sadly.

Snape snorted. "Again, I am hardly surprised by that fact," he said, holding open the door to a shop bearing the sign of "Muggle Apparel" upon it. "Come along." He ushered the boy through the door.

To Henry's surprise, it was actually just like a muggle department store on the inside with a Men's section, a Woman's section, and a Children's section. It was to the third that Snape herded him to and then to the Boy's half on the right.

Going to a rack of jeans, he began looking through them and every so often would hold a pair up to his (Henry's) waist to see if they fit. He found four pair that did, and then got two pairs in each of those sizes.

"Why eight pairs?" Henry asked, curiously.

"Four for you," Snape explained, "and four for Harry."

"How do you know they'll fit Harry?" Henry asked next.

Snape gave him a withering look. "Besides your eyes," he said, "and the fact you do not bear his scar, the two of you are identical. You have the same features, same height, same weight, even the foot size-so naturally anything that fits you will also fit him."

"Oh," Henry said, realizing he was right, "okay."

Snape then moved on to the slacks and repeated the process as he did with the jeans. Henry and Harry ended up with two pairs of khaki slacks, two pairs of black slacks, and two pairs of dark blue slacks each. Next came the polo shirts, where they each got a red, green, blue, and gray one. The t-shirts followed with the same colors, only two each instead of just one.

After that came a rather embarrassing topic: underwear. "Which do you prefer?" Snape asked, holding up a package of boxers and a package of briefs.

"Uh," Henry stammered, "I-I..."

Snape rolled his eyes and sighed. "What kind are you wearing now?" he asked, only slightly impatiently.

"Boxers," Henry answered, "but they're a little too big." He knew his face was probably blushing.

Snape nodded. "We will get both," he decided, "and will let Harry choose. You can have the package he doesn't pick, how's that?"

Henry nodded. "Sure," he said, relieved. "Whatever you say, Uncle Sev."

Snape frowned. "It is either Sir or Uncle Severus," he told him, firmly, "not Uncle Sev."

"What's wrong with that?" Henry asked, curious.

"I hate being called Sev," Snape told him, "a fact your father loved to exploit. He and his little friends took great delight calling me that-among the other pleasantries they referred to me as-and so I have loathed that particular shortening of my name ever since. Now, let's go pay for all this and head to Ollivander's." He turned and headed for the counter.

Henry followed behind him; his arms loaded with their purchases-or rather most of it except for the underwear. When instructed to, he more than happily plopped all of it down onto the counter and waited for his uncle to pay for everything. Once he did, he was even more relieved when Snape took out his wand and shrunk their packages to put in his pockets.

They then headed over to the wand maker/seller Mr. Ollivander's shop. Henry remembered when Harry had first entered it with Hagrid. Mr. Ollivander had given him the creeps a little bit, but otherwise had been a very nice man. He hoped he still was.

They entered the shop and were immediately by the wide-eyed wizard wand maker. "Why, Professor Snape," he said, smiling that wide smile of his, "what an unexpected surprise...and with Mr. Potter no less."

Henry jumped as those wide eyes turned to him. "Uh," he said, hesitantly. He looked to Snape to figure out what he should do.

His uncle, however, just grinned. "I had forgotten that you could see through glamour quite easily," he told the other man. "Mr. Potter has had a little accident and is in need of a new wand."

"I see," Mr. Ollivander said, "just a moment." He turned and went back into the back. He came back with a long thin box that contained a wand.

Henry hoped this wouldn't be a lot like when Harry had gotten his wand, with him having to try wand after wand until he got the one that was right for him.

"Here you go, Mr. Potter," he said, taking out a light colored wand. "White oak, 15 inches long with a core of dragon's heart string-very good for Transfiguration. I once sold a wand very similar to this-to your brother, I believe." This last had been directed at Snape.

Snape raised an eyebrow. "You are getting as bad as Albus," he told the man.

Ollivander chuckled. "Maybe so," he said, 'but I know what I know." He shrugged, reaching to hand Henry the wand.

Henry took it, holding his breath and hoping against hope that it was the right one. The moment he wrapped his fingers around it, he felt a tingling sensation and felt the hairs on his head stand nearly straight up...just as it had when Harry had gotten his wand.

"Ah," Mr. Ollivander said, "Curious, very curious."

Uh-oh. Henry knew that tone, from when Harry had gotten his wand. "What's curious, Sir?" he asked the older wizard.

"It is curious," Mr. Ollivander said, "that this wand would be the exact opposite as your Uncle's wand-Black oak, 15 inches long with a core of dragon's heart string-which is excellent for Defense."

Snape rolled his eyes. "Thank you, Mr. Ollivander," he said, paying the man for the wand. "Come along, Mr. Potter." With that, he turned and headed out of the shop.

Henry quickly followed him. "That is one very strange man," he told his uncle.

Snape smirked. "Yes, he is," he said. "Now, let's get back to Hogwarts. No telling what mischief your-uh-brother is getting into."

"Will we be traveling by Floo powder again?" Henry asked, making a face.

"And end up with you spitting soot on my boots again?" Snape asked, grinning. "I think not. This time we'll take a more direct route."

Taking his hand, he then Apparated them back to Hogwarts-where Harry had a very unusual surprise waiting on them.